Entrepreneur Hub

Hi everyone! My name is Aimee Dundas, in Litchfield Park Arizona. I’m excited to introduce myself and become part of this community of patient advocates and navigators.

I have more than 15 years of experience in oncology and hematology, with a background as a Medical Assistant, Oncology Patient Navigator and Principal Illness Navigator. Throughout my career, I’ve worked directly with patients and families as well as behind the scenes with providers, insurance companies, treatment teams and community organizations.

Today, my work has expanded beyond oncology to include patients facing chronic and serious illnesses. I especially enjoy taking complicated situations, figuring out where the barriers are, and helping patients and families find a path forward.

I currently serve as Director of PINs with Cancer Care Concierge™ and Chronic Care Concierge™, where I also mentor navigators and continue working directly with patients. I am also the creator of the CCC™ Patient Navigation System™, which grew out of years of seeing how difficult it can be for patients and caregivers to keep track of everything involved in their care.

One of the things I value most about navigation is that none of us knows everything. We each bring different experiences, resources and areas of expertise to the table, and we become better advocates when we learn from and support one another.

I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you, learning about your areas of expertise, sharing resources and experiences, and hopefully collaborating along the way!

Hi everyone! I'm Tiffany Hare, I am new to GNA but not new to patient advocacy. I am a nurse in Southwest Florida with many years of experience in case management, behavioral health, and hospice care. I have witnessed families struggle to find answers and become overwhelmed with our fragmented healthcare system, and have personally experienced the difficulty of navigating for my own loved ones. As a nurse, I have said for years, I am not tied to any one company or hospital, I am dedicated to my patients first and foremost. I decided to take a leap of faith in June and start my own advocacy practice, Rooted waters nurse advocates, to help families navigate our complex health system, review records, and help them find their voice for their loved ones. I am currently pursuing my BCPA certification and am excited to be a part of GNA. I look forward to learning and collaborating with you all!
Tiffany Hare
Rootedwatersnurseadvocates.com

Hello! It's Tracy here from Listening Advocates! I work with the aging population… including solo agers and those managing injury, illness, and those in facilities. It is a BIG job with the aging population growing everyday, and the population of the younger caregivers is much less. I am passionate about talking about it as people are still digesting that idea and what that means! Advocates are more than needed! (If anyone has a good link to understanding Medicaid, I would appreciate… and coupled with LTC and denials -that would be helpful! )
Thank you!!!

Yes, I'm interested in feedback! Try it out and let me know what worked, didn't work so well, which features should be added! My goal is to create useful, no/low-cost tools for the important work patient advocates do!

Has anyone tried this out?

I purchased my domain name, build an HTML file website using Claude, and then uploaded it through Netlify. It sounds complicated, but it was actually pretty simple. My practice is new and I only have a handful of clients, so I'm only taking payment through Venmo and Zelle, and my business banking account also has a native invoice and payment tool.

For my website, I built everything on WordPress using Elementor, hosted on Hostinger, and paired with Google Workspace for domain management (sonoranwayfinders.com). Elementor gives me complete control over my design without needing an expensive developer, while integrating directly with MailerLite so contact forms and email leads route into my system automatically. For billing, I created a custom spreadsheet tailored specifically to patient advocacy workflows that eliminates the need for expensive accounting software. I built it myself to handle automated time-tracking timers for different clients and automated invoice generation, all completely free without monthly subscription fees. It’s been such a game-changer for streamlining my practice that I’m actually thinking about packaging and selling it to help other advocates simplify their back office, too.

You also could consider working with a program like Umbra for billing, scheduling, setting prices, and a lot more. They are a membership program. Claire Pickering could tell you much more.

So glad to see you asking this, John.

I might suggest a slight reword to your title to make it clear you are offering to provide assistance to the advocate at no cost in turn for your experiential learning.

Welcome John :) You have a wonderful approach in asking to learn alongside others. Together we are better. Best wishes to you.

Thanks so much Jenn! Onboarding is such an important step in building a strong community of advocates!

And, as always, thanks to AnnMarie for all the great work!

Jenn,
I'm… speechless.

Thanks so much for your kind words. I'm so glad you found it worth your time, and worth the brief wait.

-AnnMarie

Welcome Annie and THANK YOU for your dedication. I am just 100 miles from Seattle — so «hello neighbor» :)

welcome annie! so glad you're here!

you might also add your intro (its super welcome here) -in the introductios post, wher eyou can read lots of others folks intros also.

gnanow.org/community/taking-business-to-next-level/general-tbnl/91-welcome-to-pa360-please-introduce-yourselves.html

Congratulations Annie! 🎉

I am in Cincinnati Ohio

Where are you located?

Thanks for sharing!

Hi Marsha!
Looks like some needed services you are offering.
Are you telephonic or do you provide any onset services?
Thank you!

Marsha, Welcome!

Marsha,
thanks for sharing this information! We're VERY glad you're here, and its' so cool to hear what you're doing for the caregiver side.

-AnnMarie

Hi John! Nice to meet you and thanks for sharing! I am in Florida and work with the booming older population.
Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome :) It is always nice to have resources from others. Thank you for your kind offer.

Thanks for sharing! And welcome to this space for fellow patient advocates!

This is an awesome background story behind your reason for advocacy

Kim this is a great idea. Although I am not a social worker, I would love to join!

Hi Kim, I would love to join. Please add me to the event list. I look forward to talking soon! — Lauren

This is such a thoughtful and meaningful topic, Kim. You really made me reflect!

I’m not a social work advocate, but I truly enjoy learning from different perspectives and experiences. I’ll work on my list over the next three weeks so I can be ready for your roundtable.

Looking forward to it!

Great, clear approach Kim. Wishing you the best!

Thanks so much for being here Kim, and also for being a great volunteer to GNA's Advocacy Support Center team!

Nice to meet you, Sasha!
I noticed that your work is bilingual and accessible, and your profile also mentions that you understand Spanish, so I wanted to say: Mucho gusto, compañera. Muchas bendiciones para ti y tu familia.

Sasha,

I'm so glad you're here and that you introduced yourself! I now realize I never introduced myself, so I'm going to do that now! Kim

Sasha,
THANK YOU for such a great introduction! We're so glad you're here. we hope you find helpful information and connection with us here.

Casandera,
Thank you SOOO much for sharing this!

If you don't mind, I'd love to add a few thoughts…

1. If a newer advocate is looking to get out of their comfort zone, to learn types of things clients ask and to connect with other advocates, please contact me about volunteering with GNA's Advocacy Support Center («ASC»). We aren't a live hotline, but advocates are talking to real clients in need, helping to route them to the best resources.

2. If any advocate ever has a case they need help finding other advocates to consult, to contract under, or to make a warm handoff — again the ASC is here for you. POSTS LIKE THIS ARE IDEAL — and also, you're very welcome to ask our team to do a deep dive search of our directory and look for advocates who have the knowledge you're seeking.

Hav a GREAT day and thanks again for posting!